Process of making a dispersing mechanism



1940- A. F. KRAuss I 2,135,442

PROCESS OF MAKING A DISPERSING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 14, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. E6 2 A0041! 1'? lllPAlJ-S-S.

ATTORNEYJ.

J. 2, 1940. KRAUSS 2,185,442

PROCESS OF MAKING A DISPERSING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 14, 1936 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR. A00; PH 1'? KPAUSS.

A TTORNEYS.

atented Jan. 2, 1940 ill PROCESS OF MAKING A DISPERSING MECHANISM Adolph F. Krauss, River Forest, llL, assignor to Elie Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 2 Claims. (Cl. 29157) This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 96,124, filed August 14, 1936.

My invention. has to do with apparatus for reducing molten materials to a finely divided and preferably filamentary form by the use of apparatus having holes through which the molten material is driven by centrifugal force or pressure otherwise developed. It has practical utility in connection with the making of lead and lead oxide combinations as set forth in the copending application of Charles Haunz, Serial No. filed May 15, 1937; but its utility is not limited thereto. Where the problem is one or securing an extremely finely divided state of the material being operated upon, it has hitherto been found very difiicult and expensive to provide holes of proper fineness. Moreover, where the material being operated upon, tends to corrode or wear away the metal adjacent the holes, the maintenance of such apparatus has been found to be a matter oi. great expense. Objects of my invention have to do with the elimination of these diificulties and the provision both ofexceedingly fine perforations of passageways, and of a structure in which the passageways may readily be kept clean and renewed when necessary. These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specirlcations, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts and in that process of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings wherein:

Figure l is a view of an exemplary apparatus in which my invention is employed, the apparatus being shown in. vertical section.

2 is a sectional view of a simple form of dispersing head.

Fig. 3 is a View of a more complex form of dispersing head.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary sectional View through one of the ring members of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is plan View of a device for making the passageways.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view thereof.

I will describe my apparatus in connection with means for carrying on certain steps of a. process of producing lead and lead oxide as described and claimed in the said application of Haunz. In l on a suitable support 1, I have shown a furnace 2 having walls surrounding a kettle 3. The kettle is divided by means of a wall 5 and is heated as by means of a series of burners S. A delivery pipe leads from the kettle and conducts the molten metal to the dispersing head. The kettle has cover members l and i3, and a plug 5%, controlled by a rod l l, and a pivoted operating means l2. The baffle wall 5, has a perforation, in its lower part. Pigs of metal it, are placed in one part of the kettle and are melted by the heat. The molten metal flows through the passageway 63, into the other compartment of the kettle. The dross and other impurities, of course, float on the molten metal.

On a floor or base l3, a shaft it will be mounted in a bracket i5. This shaft can be driven through bevel gears l! by a shaft l8 from a motor 59, or other source of power. The dispersing head in. this instance is shown as comprising parts 2d and 2t bolted together as at 22, hereinafter to be more fully described.

A float having a body 23, and a neck 2d, may be employed in the dispersing head to regulate the flow of molten metal thereto, but is not necessary.

In the particular embodiment here illustrated, it is desired that the finely divided metal be caught in a bath of water. This may be held in an annular container 25, suitably supported as at it and heated by burners or their equivalent. The outer wall 28 may be carried up considerably above the level of the hot water in 30 order to catch any material which does not hit the water. A removal device 29 may be provided for periodically removing the finely divided metal as may be desired. The particular dispersing head is shown in an enlarged scale in Fig. 2, 35 where both the lower member 2! and the upper member lill, are shown as having edges of reduced thickness as at 30 and Bl. Instead of attempting to bore or punch minute holes in a thin metal body, I provide contacting parts as shown, and then make minute grooves or ridges or depressions in one of the members so that when the members are held together fine passageways will be formed. This can most conveniently be accomplished by a knurling operation; but the operation is quite a delicate one where the passageways are to be exceedingly fine. The passagewa s ordinarily have to be measured under a microscope in the particular exemplary embodiment which I am describing. I am currently working with passageways as small as .0015 inch in diameter and have made them much smaller. The way in which I prefer to do this is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, where I have shown the member 2| centered on a suitable structure for rotation. A knurling tool, indicated at 32, is rotatably mounted on a bar rod 33, fitted as at 34 to a fixed support. A weight 35 may be slidably mounted on this bar or other means may be provided to exert an even and controllable pressure of the knurling tool against the work. The parts mentioned are so positioned that when the member 2| is centered as indicated, the edges of the knurling tool will come radially against the radial edges 3| of the member. I prefer to turn. the member 2| by hand with careful examination of the work as it progresses, usually through a microscope. The indentations produced in the edges 3| are exceedingly fine, and when these edges are clamped against the edges 30 of the member 2!), very fine passageways are provided. The depth to which the edges 3| are indented by the knurling tool of course determines the size of these passageways.

It will be clear, therefore, that I have provided a way of producing exceedingly fine passageways which method is very inexpensive and can be carried on quite rapidly. Another advantage of this form of passageway is to be found in its length as compared with the length of drilled holes of any comparative diameter, which holes, of course, would have to be made in very thin metal. There is a great tendency for the molten lead employed in the process to which I have referred to corrode or eat away and thereby enlarge the holes or passageways. In my apparatus this tendency is minimized, by the length of the passageways and also renewal of the passageways is made a matter requiring the expenditure of very little time at very little cost. If the passageways become unusable it is only necessary to take the member 2| and reface the edges 32, which can readily be done by lapping against a surface plate. Thereupon a new set of the passageways may be formed quite quickly as I have just described. Where handling molten metals at high temperature, it is well to keep the members 20 and 2| of relatively small diameter to prevent enlargement of the passageways by warpage. When handling molten lead, I have found that an excellent material for the knurled parts is an air hardening steel, but this is not essential and other materials may be used.

A more elaborate construction is shown in Fig. 3 where between the upper member 36 and the lower member 31, I have shown a series of milled rings and spacers. The milled rings are indicated at 38 and 39 and a spacer ring at 4!]. A cross section of the knurled rings is shown in Fig. 4, where the body of the ring 4| is provided with one or more ribs 42, of reduced cross section. The rib or ribs are, of course, the portions of the ring which are milled as I have hereinabove described.

In handling any molten material, it will be within the skill of the worker in the art to apportion the speed at which the dispersing head is driven to the temperature of the molten material, the size of the passageways and the distance to which it is desired to throw the molten material. It will be clear that instead of developing the pressure required to force the molten material through the passageways by centrifugal force, I may otherwise develop it as by fluid pressure.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A process of producing, using and maintaining a head for making fine, filamentary materials which comprises making a rotating head in at least two parts having edges adapted to be brought together with a tight and accurate fit, and forming in one of said edges minute indentations of the order of about .003 inch in cross section by bringing against said edge a knurling tool under pressure, afterward assembling the parts of said head with said edges in juxtaposition, whereby said indentations provide minute passageways between said edges, rotating said head, introducing therein material to be reduced to filamentary form, causing said material to pass out through said passageways until said passageways have become enlarged, then disassembling said head, lapping at least the said edge which contained the enlarged indentations so as to remove them, then re-indenting said edge as before, and reassembling the parts of said head for further use.

2. A process of producing and using a head for the production of filamentary lead which comprises providing a rotating head in at least two parts having edges adapted to be brought together with a tight and accurate fit, and forming in one of said edges minute indentations of the order of about .003 inch in cross section by bringing against said edge a knurling tool under pressure, afterward assembling the parts of said head with said edges in juxtaposition, whereby said indentations provide minute passageways between said edges, rotating said head and introducing therein molten lead at such temperature that said lead will be formed into filaments upon cooling after passing through said passageways.

ADOLPH F. KRAUSS. 

